One Year Down

Today is a very happy, very special day. Exactly one year ago, Eric and I sat down in a real estate office, signed our names a few dozen times, and were handed the keys to our sweet little house. Life has been incredible ever since. 

I'm so happy you've all been able to share the journey with us. From when the house hunt began, all the way up to our quirky little one-shuttered picture window (an update on that to come soon). From my adventures in gardening to thrifting piece after piece after piece to make our home unique. We've come a long way since last year, but as all homeowners know the work is never done! We've got some fun projects on our list to check off during year two, including:

• Installing backsplash in the kitchen
• Installing a dishwasher (folks, I'm real excited about this one)
• Scraping the popcorn finish off our master bedroom walls and ceilings (ugh)
• Changing out the wrought-iron banister in the master bedroom with something more stable
• Swapping out nearly every light fixture we have throughout the house
• Refinishing and staining the deck
• Replacing the outside potting station on our side patio
• Adding a finished railing to our front porch
• Possibly removing the gigantic pine trees in our front yard (this would make my dreams come true)
• Beginning the dream of finishing our basement
• Plus much, much more!

But before we get to work on all of the above, let's take a little walk down memory lane. 

The living room on May 12, 2011

The living room on May 12, 2012:

The kitchen on May 12, 2011:

The kitchen on May 12, 2012:

The "French" room on May 12, 2011:

The "French" room on May 12, 2012:

The guest room on May 12, 2011:

The guest room May 12, 2012:

Backyard May 12, 2011:

Backyard May 12, 2012:

(Okay, nothing's really changed out back, but can you believe how much more lush everything looks already back there?? The unseasonable warmer winter really made a huge difference!)

The basement on May 12, 2011 (forgive the horrible tint... dang white balance setting):

The basement May 12, 2012 (forgive the blurry photos... bad light and also, Eric was trying to impress on the treadmill):

 Eric's baby...

 And, of course, Mr. Bear is still standing strong in the backyard:

Rooms not pictured: The downstairs bathroom (aside from hanging a shower curtain and adding a few touches to the shelves, nothing has changed), master bedroom (still a long way to go... aside from the bookshelves, nothing has changed), the front of the house (you'll be updated on that soon!).

I can't believe it's been an entire year that we've lived in our home! It seems like just yesterday we spent two full days painting before our move... but at the same time, it seems like ages since we lived in the old apartment. Buying our home was the best decision we've ever made (well, aside from deciding to get married!)... our house is small, but perfect for us. We adore our neighborhood and never want to leave it. And as far as we're concerned, life doesn't get better than when we're having a fire out back, eating S'mores and listening to the Brewers on the radio. 

What a year it's been. Here's to many more!